Hypocrisy and the Homesteader’s Guide to Saving the Earth

First things first, a compost bin. The very weekend we move in I do hope Doug can build me a compost bin. He makes it with pallets, three open spaces to move the cooking fertilizer through.

The thing about apartment living is that it is really difficult to be ecologically friendly. They don’t recycle in this town. There is nowhere to put scraps (no chickens to be found). There is nowhere to compost (piles of coffee grounds on the balcony would be a bit weird). There are hills of trash here, eye-opening, mouth gaping amounts of overflowing trash near the dumpsters. I am shocked and saddened. And yet, my things join the piles.

I am very much against the pipeline going through Indian land. I am also very much against the fracking, hideous wind mills, and pipelines going through farmer’s land (who don’t get to protest, by the way, they just get the land stripped from them) across the country. I can get mad and share a post on facebook about stopping the black snake then I go get in my car and drive to work. I understand that I am among the billions of hypocrites on this lovely planet.

The answer lies, perhaps, in mindfully (perhaps maniacally) opting to use less electricity, oil, and its many ugly faces. We know we are killing our beautiful Earth (we know she is getting mad as hell) but we seem to not know what to do about it. Our life has woven itself so thickly through the oil reserves that we don’t know how to function.

Once I step into my new homestead tomorrow I will be starting a compost pile. I will find recycling. I hope someone still does it. I will reuse. I will be like my elder generation where one is not sure if the contents of a container in the fridge is butter or leftovers. I will get chickens and feed them my scraps. I will use organic methods to grow as much of my food as divinely possible. I will get oil lamps again and still crazily unplug appliances and Doug’s IPOD. I will use carbon neutral wood to heat my home (though it will be nice to have that back up furnace!). I will be more mindful. I will do the best I can. I will walk. I will ride my bike. I will purchase less. I will sew more. I will….

Farmgirl school is my long time blog about all things homesteading and simple living. From canning, to celebrating the old agricultural holidays, to making wine, to chasing chickens, we live in the moment and savor the good life on our urban farm. My husband and I live in a 93 year old adobe farmhouse in Pueblo, Colorado with several cats, chickens, and a farm dog puppy. My daughter and I own White Wolf Medicine, a traditional herbal pharmacy. All of my books can be found on Amazon at http://Amazon.com/author/katiesanders